Do YOU want a new OC who's a Heresy-era astartes, young and determined and out of his depth as he tries to live up to his older brothers' expectations? Is it more exciting if the deck is stacked against him in ways that might make for good angst fodder? Hell yes you do and it is. Please allow me to point you at the Inductii, reinforcement space marines created by all the legions in the latter half of the Heresy as casualties mounted. Inductii (singular Inductius) were rushed through the space marine creation process with hypno-conditioning (brainwashing) and experimental medical bullshit that didn't really make up for their lack of experience, but close enough, right? It would have to be.
GW has just put out a new set of rules for fielding Inductii units in the Horus Heresy game, which includes this bit:
Records indicate that a variety of experimental or proscribed measures were employed to boost the fighting numbers of the Legions, often with a significantly increased attrition rate. While these recruits bore the appearance of their brother Legionaries, they lacked their experience, and were often less well versed in the culture and traditions of their Legion. Nevertheless, they played a valuable role in the conflict.
And then each different legion gets its own fighting profile, which includes mentions of specific things Inductii from each legion might be struggling with due to the way they were hastily assembled. Allow me to summarize:
Dark Angels: recruited post-Ruinstorm in the Crusade of Vengeance, not allowed to know the secrets of the Hexagrammaton/Wings, no physical anomalies noted.
Emperor's Children: "Empowered by a potent cocktail of experimental combat stimulants and physical modifications," fought while high and careless of casualties.
Iron Warriors: "Utterly indoctrinated into their unyielding master’s methods of waging war, the Inductii of the Iron Warriors were likened to the automata of the Cybernetica cohorts. Many observers compared them to statues, lurching into life to destroy their foe with roaring bolters before returning to unmoving silence."
White Scars: Often trained by Imperial Fists and Blood Angels as much as their own legion, deployed in vanguard roles where they tried to defeat enemy elites to prove themselves to their older brothers.
Space Wolves: Physically augmented Fenrisians with little chance for indoctrination, competing with each other in battle—strong shock troops but vulnerable to disciplined foes.
Imperial Fists: Resilient, stubborn, but lacking in initiative, prone to holding their positions no matter the cost or tactical value.
Night Lords: Barely soldiers, murderers recruited off the worlds Night Lords raided. "Unscrupulous Murderers" rule suggests they would cooperate to distract and backstab stronger foes.
Blood Angels: Missing the art/beauty and self-restraint traits full legionaries learned, the IX Inductii were grim and hungry, prone to drinking blood and eating flesh in battle.
Iron Hands: Faults in organic implants would be replaced with cybernetics, often experimental, sometimes erratic and dangerous to the Inductius or others.
World Eaters: World Eaters but worse, with Nails implanted early and vat-grown musculature, quicker to be lost to the Nails than their brothers.
Ultramarines: Extra-indoctrinated compared with their brothers, precision fighters who are unwilling to retreat or give up a fight no matter what.
Death Guard: Separated from most of the legion, sent out to fortify and endure across the galaxy "like a pestilence". (Imagine the shock and confusion it must have produced in their garrisons when Nurgle's influence took hold!)
Thousand Sons: Forbidden bio-alchemy and psychic indoctrination left these Inductii more vulnerable to mutation, and they didn't have the chance to specialize in a particular Prosperine Arcana discipline.
Sons of Horus: Most successful Inductii came from gang cultures similar to Cthonia's; the Inductii were generally cannon fodder unless they proved themselves with their resilience and brutality.
Word Bearers: Ritually marked and branded to draw the gods' attention, and to make them suitable hosts for eventual possession.
Salamanders: Recruited from worlds liberated from Traitor control, given the wargear of slain Salamanders and the expectation that they would live up to their forebears.
Raven Guard: After the first rebuilding effort on Deliverance was sabotaged, recruited from the same worlds as the Dark Angels.
Alpha Legion: Possibly had been making Inductii all along! Who knows. Inductii would form the visible Alpha Legion element in an attack, drawing attention away from concealed allies.
Obviously this is just the very tip of the iceberg on what you could do with any of these, but dang you guys! The potential for fucked up young space marines who know they're imperfect and expendable!
